Bill failed by handful of votes in House

Maine Gov. Paul LePage is blasting Democrats for failing to approve a bill designed to ensure uniformed military recruiters have the same access to the state's public schools as other college and career recruiters.

The Republican governor said in his weekly radio address on Friday that Democrats' rejection of the bill sends a message to service members that they aren't welcome in Maine's schools.

The bill failed by a handful of votes in the House this week because some Democrats say it's unnecessary. They say federal law already requires equal access for military recruiters and there is no factual evidence it's a problem in Maine schools.

But LePage says he has been informed that some schools in southern Maine allow only minimal access to uniformed military recruiters.